Viral bikewear ad powerfully captures every parent's fear of teenage phone addiction
“As a parent, this had me locked in and feeling 10,000 things.”
This is every parent's nightmare.
An ad meant to intrigue customers to cycling equipment is also striking a chord in phone-weary parents worldwide.
Back in September, Spain-based sportswear brand Siroko released an ad onto TikTok with the caption, “How much life is consumed by your phone?”
The ad has since racked up over 19 million views, with so many parents commiserating over how “powerful” it is.
In the clip (shot “POV” style) we see a young, probably tween age girl receiving presumably her first phone as a Christmas gift. What begins as innocent excitement slowly unravels into a complete loss of spirit as she becomes far too attached to her device—texting from bed, eating while scrolling, being distracted at school, all those very, very common scenarios parents find their kids in.
There’s also a brief moment when she clearly stumbles upon content that’s far too mature for young eyes, as indicated by not so subtle moaning sounds and her look of utter shock. Another seriously real issue parents face.
Finally we see her phone getting taken away, and she becomes hysterical. Luckily, the video ends on a hopeful note—the girl sees her long forgotten bikes sitting in the garage. She decides to ride it again, and returns to her face.
@sirokocom How much life is consumed by your phone? #sport #mentalhealth ♬ sonido original - Siroko
For parents navigating childhoods that look so drastically different from their own, this ad really hit home. One person even said it belonged in the Superbowl.
Here’s what others had to say:
“Omg this ad made me cry. I have a 6 year old and I am terrified at what the future looks like with a digital device in her life.”
“As a parent, this had me locked in and feeling 10,000 things.”
“Childhood is worth protecting!”
“Our sweet children deserve better than this!”
“So powerful.”
This video not only touches on the fears that so many parents have regarding phones, but also a secret hope burning in their hearts—that maybe even in this modern, tech driven world which forces kids to grow up too fast, their child’s pure, innocent, fleeting joy is still only one bike ride away. That they might still enjoy life in the real world before things become complicated.
Still, solving this problem is complicated, with one huge factor being that there’s little consensus or regulation set in place when it comes to setting phone boundaries. That’s why many parents are calling for more widespread collective solutions, like the Wait til 8th movement, which aims to establish 8th grade as the official youngest age for receiving a phone. But even individual families who have taken their kid’s phones away have noticed vast improvement to their overall well being, which is promising.
Bottom line: this is a scary problem, and one that should be taken seriously. But not an insurmountable one. Can it be solved with a bike? Maybe not. Or maybe it’s the exact solution we need right now.